Brad Paisley

Brad Paisley Artistfacts

  • October 28, 1972
  • He married actress Kimberly Williams on March 15, 2003, but he fell for her before they even met. "I'd liked her in Father of the Bride and had written a song about the movie, 'Part II,' and when we were talking about making a video for 'I'm Gonna Miss Her,' I naturally asked her to be in it. When I called, I definitely had other motives," he recalls with The Washington Post. He also admits that she's the basis for the song "Little Moments" and she appears in that song's video. In turn, Paisley guested as "Eddie" on the According to Jim episode "Brother-In-Law."
  • He was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on February 17, 2001, at the age of 28, and was the youngest artist to join the prestigious hall. At his induction Paisley appeared wearing Buck Owens's legendary canary-yellow rhinestone Nudie jacket, as he told CNN, "I love Buck dearly. He's become like a second father practically. When I was asked to join the Opry, I wore the exact same jacket he wore when he taped 'Live at Carnegie Hall' in the '60s.
  • Paisley sang two songs on Disney's Cars Soundtrack: "Find Yourself" and "Behind the Clouds."
  • Asked by US Weekly about Brad's best quality, Kimberly Williams replied: "His sense of humor. [He makes me laugh] not all the time, but when it's important!"
  • Brad Paisley's first guitar was a Sears Danelectro Silvertone. It was given to the future star by his grandfather, Warren Jarvis, as a Christmas gift, when Paisley was 8 years old. "He said, 'You can play this instrument and three or four hours later, not remember what you were upset about,'" Paisley recalled to ABC Radio. "And that's all he wanted. He didn't care if I was ever, you know, successful. He wanted me to be happy."
  • Paisley made multiple contributions to the 2014 Disney animated film Planes: Fire & Rescue, with a voice cameo as a pick-up truck named Bubba, as well as recording two songs for the soundtrack: "Runway Romance" and "All In."
  • Paisley has progressive political views and was a big supporter of Barack Obama - he played at the White House in 2009 and 2012, and returned to perform at an inauguration concert in 2013 after Obama was re-elected. Speaking with the Guardian in 2010, he explained that not all country stars are arch conservatives.

    "They're not country hicks sitting behind a desk with a big cigar giving out record deals and driving round in Cadillacs with cattle horns on the front grille," he said. "It's a bunch of really wonderful, open-minded, great people down on Music Row that make this music."
  • The man who wrote and recorded the song "Alcohol" is actually a teetotaler, and doesn't smoke either. Paisley's only vice has six strings. "I have no overcoming addiction story other than the guitar itself. And I haven't overcome that," he told Taste Of Country.
  • Paisley's wife Kimberly started losing her voice in 2022, and until having surgery to correct the problem almost two years later, couldn't speak above a whisper. Brad was very supportive during this time - he even bought her a pink megaphone so she could be heard around the house.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up Musicians

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up MusiciansSong Writing

Eddie (played by Johnny Depp in the video) found fame fleeting, but Chuck Berry's made-up musician fared better.

Chris Rea

Chris ReaSongwriter Interviews

It took him seven years to recover from his American hit "Fool (If You Think It's Over)," but Chris Rea became one of the top singer-songwriters in his native UK.

Producer Ron Nevison

Producer Ron NevisonSong Writing

Ron Nevison explains in very clear terms the Quadrophenia concept and how Heart staged their resurgence after being dropped by their record company.

Michael Schenker

Michael SchenkerSongwriter Interviews

The Scorpions and UFO guitarist is also a very prolific songwriter - he explains how he writes with his various groups, and why he was so keen to get out of Germany and into England.

Songs About Movies

Songs About MoviesSong Writing

Iron Maiden, Adele, Toto, Eminem and Earth, Wind & Fire are just some of the artists with songs directly inspired by movies - and not always good ones.

Jethro Tull

Jethro TullFact or Fiction

Stage urinals, flute devices, and the real Aqualung in this Fact or Fiction.